The last Angel
by Nightstalker33
Summary: They had been called beasts, monsters, abominations by much of mankind... Angels by a select few. Now in the aftermath of certain annihilation, the last of these Angel walks under the light of a shattered moon on a world so similar and yet so different to his own teetering on the edge of damnation.
1. Chapter 1

The missiles loomed over the dark one's hive bringing nothing but death and destruction in their wake all hope for their survival seemed lost there races destruction was inevitable all at the hands of the one who was supposed to save them. Beneath the ruins of Moscow deep within the vast metro systems that the remnants of mankind now called home an anomaly unlike any that had been witnessed before began to flourish.

Sparks arced and shot out striking the train lines as the orb of pure energy zipped along the tracks, suddenly it came to a halt hovering below a large crevice where the tunnel had collapsed in on itself long ago leaving a large opening to the world above, the anomaly hovered in place for a moment hovering around a large opening in the tunnel leaving a gateway to the open world above.

The anomaly hovered in place small bolt of energy shooting out of its core, striking the tracks and the walls around itself before beginning to move back down the dark tunnel behind it. The rubble began to shift as several small rodents began climbing towards the surface in hopes of escaping the object they had grown to fear over time.

Sensing their movement the anomaly began hovering back towards the opening and rising up to the surface above hovering above the objects that had drawn its attention, the small rodent unfortunate enough to have drawn its attention was instantly turned to ash. Moving on across the desolate landscape it forms unleashing the occasional bolt of lightning striking anything that moved in the wind or creatures that roam across what remained of the Botanical Garden the land scorched black with a number of strange orange growth scattered across the landscape.

A single Dark One took notice of this event and cautiously approached the orb of pure light. As he grew closer the anomaly began to pulse and fluctuated erratically giving off a strange energy one he had never felt before and yet, it was almost soothing. The anomaly darted around the surrounding area for a moment before stopping directly in front of him almost as if registering his presence.

The Dark One glanced back towards the nuclear storm raining down on their home before turning back to face the anomaly, there were certainly worse ways one could die, and did not wish to die in the agony man weapons would bring his people, however short it may have been.

The ground shook beneath his feet a storm of nuclear fire washed over the hive snuffing out the lives of his kin that stood in its path, he braced himself for what was to come, the seconds of searing pain he could still feel from his brothers and sisters and the bliss of death that would soon follow.

But it seemed fate had other plans the anomaly gave off a blinding green light, and then everything went black.

/

Darkness engulfed his mind like a fog clouding his senses, inducing a feeling of weightlessness and serenity. Though oddly soothing was this death?... or something else entirely. The dark one had little time to wonder as the darkness engulfing his vision began to recede fading into a mix of multiple colours

The dark one inhaled sharply upon awakening, slowly he sat up taking in his surrounding there was a lot of green trees flowers and other vegetation perhaps spring had come? but that begged the question.

'How?' he asked himself he should have perished alongside his kin yet here he was. He began to stand shakily at first but the dark one soon stood tall, his height around seven and a half feet

his dark eyes darted to the vegetation around him where was he, the air here seemed different slightly heavier, but he could adjust in time, he closed his eyes steadying himself before reaching out with his mind, after a few moments he felt something It felt like his Kin there were so many of them, but something was wrong, something about them felt... different

'Strange' he noted before heading deeper into the forest unaware of the crimson eyes that watched him from the folliage

Ruby rose walked through the halls of beacon academy, passing by a number of students who were busy preparing for the classes set to start tomorrow for the classes that would start back up tomorrow, in her hands, she held a large white binder with the letters Best day ever activity! written in bold red over Vytal festival activity's Property of Weiss Schnee. as she exited the main building she was greeted by the morning air, the Sun shone through the clouds above.

Glancing over at the Emerald forest where it had all begun a few months ago. Since then nobody had entered the Emerald forest. Turning back towards her destination the cafeteria, she took a step forward then stopped it was subtle a cry if pain echoed through the forest her head snapped back towards it.

A dozen birds leapt from the trees flying off away from the danger

She stood there for a moment her silver eyes scanning the trees below nothing but the sound on nature, then it happened the forest canopy exploded outwards the body of an Ursa's shot out from the tree line a large tree branch impaled through its chest, the howls of more Grimm echoing from the forest. Ruby's eyes widened and in an instant, she vanished in a trail of rose petals the binder throne aside as she dashed off towards the tree's.

/

The dark one stood in the clearing the creatures around him began to close in, the bear creature had met its end after attempting to sneak up on him, each of the beasts bore some resemblance to one another with black fur and a bone mask bearing red markings along with pristine white bone armor plating and multiple spikes protruding from their spine, they radiated nothing but hatred and malice no light resided inside them, no soul.

Three of the creatures snapped their jaws at him but the Dark one showed no fear towards them they had no soul no conscious mind, they deserved no mercy Suddenly all three of the creatures leapt forward, time itself stood still the creatures frozen mid-pounce, he thrust his hand forward a shock wave forming as time resumed the wolves were thrown back with enough force to snap their necks if not then the collision with the trees had certainly finished them.

A growl emanated from behind him, a massive black paw stuck him launching him across the clearing, pushing himself back up, he gripped his left side crimson droplets falling from his wound staining the ground below. The creature stood over him it's massive size matching his full height when standing it roared in his face an attempt to make him show fear before the final kill.

A red missile barreled out of the forest a blade extending from her scythe Crescent Rose the blade connecting with the Beowulf Alphas side creating a long gash on its abdomen the Alpha roared in rage as pain coursed through the Grimm's body. Ruby watched as it simply Ignored her in favour of finishing the... where did it go?

The Beowulf also seemed to be in the same state of confusion using the moment Ruby leapt forward burrowing the blade of Crescent Rose into the bone plating on the Alphas back attempting to pull the blade free only to find it stuck "Uh oh". The alpha reeled its hand back grabbing Ruby's forearm throwing the girl off his back.

/

A small distance away from the clearing the dark one made his way through the forest. The girl had come out of nowhere engaging the massive Alpha of the pack, drawing its attention as well as its packmates offering him ample time to make his escape she was handling herself well enough against the creature, but he did not want to see what happened after it was dispatched.

A stray thought made its way to the forefront o his mind

Would she pursue him after the deed was done?

The thought alone was enough to make him increase his pace slightly, that is until a terrified cry echoed through the forest

The dark one paused mid-step his head snapped back towards the direction of the clearing before glancing back towards the opposite direction, it would be so easy to run, so easy to simply walk away and for a moment he considered it.

But..., he could not. it was not the way. Humanity was flawed that much he understood, their emotions ruled their very beings and in times of fear could cloud their judgment and any form of rational thought above that for their own survival. And yet, there was this child.. one who had bravely or perhaps foolishly placed their own well being perhaps even her life in harm's way to preserve his own.

When so many others like her had sought to extinguish it, once again he glanced back toward the forest away from the fighting, away from the threat of extinction he had escaped once already this day... was the risk truly worth the reward.

At that moment he made a decision and vanished from sight.

/

Ruby was slammed into a tree her aura absorbing the hit, using her semblance she dogged out the way of the Grimm's charge.

'This is bad, this is bad.' Ruby told herself ducking under another swipe, her scythe was lodged in the bone armour of the Beowolf Alpha leaving the young reaper unarmed.

The alpha's eyes narrowed going for another slash Ruby slid under the strike suddenly it's right arm shot out grabbing the young reaper by the hood of her cape lifting her into the air before slamming her into the ground multiple times before throwing her off to the side.

Ruby let out a cry of pain as she skipped across the forest floor her aura shimmered around her form before vanishing from sight, pushing herself up onto her hands and knees she raised her head her eyes instantly widened in fear as she stared up at the gaping maw of the Alpha Beowulf, the Grimm unleashed an ear-piercing roar revealing a large set of serrated teeth that could easily rip through flesh and bone, before it began closing in on her.

'Yang, Weiss, Blake I'm sorry.' she's though shutting her eyes tight and bracing for the end, Though it never came.

Time itself seemed to slow down to a crawl as a dark hand reach past over her shoulder grasping the Grimm by the mask, in almost an instant it happened the alpha Beowulf howled in pain while one of its massive paws gripped its head in agony the other lashed out in confusion at the creature, which in turn vanished before the strike could connect

Ruby tried to stand to put some distance in between her and the now feral Grimm when suddenly one of its massive paws blindsided her throwing Ruby a good ten feet crashing back first into the trunk of a nearby tree, the Grimm howled in agony it's mind fractured and insanity consuming its conscientiousness as it lashed out widely with one finally howl the Grimm's body collapsed to the side never to rise again.

Ruby tried to pick herself up but collapsed in the process raising her head she stared up at the creature now standing over the dead Grimm, her vision blurred for a moment blinking back a few tears she shook her head ina n attempt to focus. Looking back up she let out a subtle gasp, the creature now towered over her it dark eyes staring down at her prone form.

For a moment she wondered what this thing would do, it vaguely resembled a Grimm although lacking any of the armour plating or markings, its actions alone only served to confuse her further. Why would it protect her if it was just going to kill her anyways, maybe to relish in the fear she would no doubt radiate in her final moments.

Slowly it knelt down in front of her Ruby's breath caught in her throat as she stared into its pitch black eyes, her face reflecting back at her from those pools of darkness. Its head tilted to the side, a sound similar to a purr emanated from the creature as it leaned in, she could feel its eyes roam over her body primarily focussing on her aking side.

After a moment of silence and an intense stare-off Ruby began to shift herself into a sitting position her back resting against the tree, a pained hiss passed her lips due to the sudden movement Ruby gripped the side of her chest in pain. Her aura had been depleted in the fight, she had been so distracted she'd let the Grimm get the drop on her a mistake that could have cost her greatly if this... thing hadn't intervened.

Suddenly one of the creatures lanky arms reached out towards her Ruby braced herself staring at the limb in fear, as if sensing her sudden shift from confusion to terror it paused, before slowly retracting its hand.

The creature tilted its head to the side staring down at her prone form. Ruby stared into those pools of inky blackness as the stared back into her own, for a moment she thought it looked concerned... was it trying to help her.

No that was impossible, the Grimm were evil incarnate they sought nothing more than mankind's destruction. And yet here she was, out of Aura and wounded a death sentence if she couldn't make it back to Beacon, and any attempt at the movement for the moment was definitely not happening. Yet it did nothing except stare at her.

A howl echoed in the distance, no doubt more Grimm attracted to the battle and turmoil she was no doubt giving off, acting as a beacon for any Grimm in the surrounding area.

Taking a chance, Ruby tried to move pushing what little aura she'd recovered in these short few moments of rest focussing on her aura as she attempted to rise to her feet, making it to her knees before pain shot through her lower back and left shoulder. Ruby collapsed back to the forest floor her muscles burned her bones ached.

A small whimper slipped from her throat as she turned her Gaze back towards the creature kneeling over her "W-what are you w-waiting for?" She asked her voice trembling slightly "K-Kill me"

" ** _No_** " A voice whispered in the back of her mind, Ruby eyes widened the threat of the Grimm closing in quickly slipping from her mind in almost an instant, her gaze locked on the creature above her.

Slowly it reached out taking her hand into its own. " ** _Rest_** " The voice said followed by a wave of nausea washing over her, dark spots quickly began to fill her vision as her world fade into darkness.

/

The darkness swirled around her lights flickered and moved in and out of sight Ruby's silver eye's opened wide as she sucked in a breath, slowly she stood up a large black void at her back but what lay in front of her made her heart stop a single figure stood there a white cloak wrapped around her form the woman turned towards her Silvereyes met Silver

"Mom?" Ruby Asked tears began to form in the corner of her eye's. slowly she took a step forward, soon finding herself running Summer didn't move an inch even when a red missile impacted her chest, small arms wrapped around her, Ruby's head buried into her shoulder sobbing soon followed

"Shhhhhhh" Her mother's voice cooed gently stroked her hair, Ruby's sob's dying down. As she looked up at the older Rose a gentle smile graced her mother's features.

Ruby just stared up at her mother more tears falling from her face as the older rose leaned down gently kissing her forehead, for so long she had wanted this for so long she had begged to be able to see her mother one more time and now here she was.

Although that did beg the question where was she, then it all came back to her the fight with the Beowulf alpha, the creature then nothing was... was she dead. A new form a grief washed over Ruby as she thought of her team dealing with her death the pain her friends and family would go through uncle Qrow, Yang... Dad.

"Ruby..." Ruby looked up at her mother's smiling face "It's time to wake up"

"W-what?" Ruby said in confusion, Summer leaned down caressing her daughter's cheek

"Ruby... you need to wake up the other they need you, you need to wake up" Summer spoke as her form began to blow away into white rose petals

"No..no, mom please don't you can't please" Ruby begged, looking up at her mother tears streaming down her cheeks "Please you can't, not again, you can't leave again please! " Ruby cried gripping onto her torso

Summer reached out wiping away her daughter's tears

" Ruby... my preciousness rosebud, no matter where you go, no matter what it seems I will always be their right beside you... I love you Ruby " With that Summer form blew away into a cloud of rose petal, a blinding white light shone where summer once stood expanding rapidly towards the young Rose.

/

"Mom!" Ruby cried as she shot up awake, her breathing frantic she attempted to calm herself her eyes darted around the room as she attempted to get her bearings Ruby found herself lying in one of the beds in beacon infirmary. Suddenly a blond blur glomped onto her squeezing the very life out of the young reaper

"Ruby, thank god you're ok!" Yang said her arms tightened around her sister's torso

"Yang, please...need... air" Ruby managed to blurt out, Yang released her younger sibling her usual violet eyes were red and puffy signs she had been crying. Blake and Weiss entered through the door each sporting looks of relief.

"Ruby, where have you been?" Weiss asked coming to stop beside her bed

"What?" Ruby asked in confusion

"Professor Goodwitch found you near the edge of the campus," Blake said " You been missing all day " Ruby glanced up out the window to her right showing it was indeed late in the afternoon evident by how the sun had just begun to set, how long had she been unconscious?

"Ruby" Yang said gaining her attention her voice was firm showing the seriousness of the situation "What happened?"

"That is something we'd like to know as well miss Rose" Ruby looked to the door professor Ozpin and Miss Goodwitch standing in the doorway.

/

The Dark one wandered through the forest. The creatures were keeping their distance after his display earlier that day, his mind wandered back to that moment was he wrong to have saved her to have gone so close to a human stronghold such acts in the past had cost his brethren their lives and in return the lives of many humans. When he first approached the girl, a part of him was willing to end her life retaliation for the death of his brothers and sister and the destruction of his home.

But that was not the way, that was not who he was nor who his people were. Humanity feared what they did not understand and in these moments they often acted violently, the attack on his home an example of such rash actions. Although that did raise the question if he had survived the attack on the hive where were the others, had more of his brethren made it here, once again he reached out with his mind it was a blur there were so many, yet so few what had happened here.

Continuing through the forest he came upon a small cave off to the right strange hieroglyphs surrounding its entrance some partially destroyed 'Strange' the dark one mused as he examined the display it seemed to tell of a battle against a large armored beast, he glanced around his surroundings nightfall was coming and he did not wish to engage these creatures under the cover of darkness, the cave was not much better in terms of light but it could be defended if the need arises.

Slowly the Dark One made his way into the opening leading into the pitch black cavern within, the tunnels below the surface often had low visibility except for the occasional glowing fungus that often grew there, nevertheless, his eyes adapted quickly to the lack of light. moving further as he passed a number of remains many appearing to be forms of wildlife while others... others were human.

Reaching the end of the narrow passageway the dark one came to a halt his eyes scanning over, his new surroundings. Whatever creature had been here had moved on judging by the damage to the cave walls it was not a willing process, proceeding further inside the darkened cave scanning for any threat that may lie ahead he stopped as the cave opened up into a chamber the walls decorated with sections of hanging moss, amber beams off light shone in from an opening above that also allowed a small stream of water to flow down through the air and splash into the clear pond below.

Stepping into the chamber the dark one examined his surroundings, it would do as shelter, for the time being, letting him treat his wound and rest glancing up at the opening of amber rays shining in from above before taking a seat against the stone wall. Slowing his breathing as the fatigue from that day's events finally began to take hold, he did not know what the future held for him if he truly was the last of his people or perhaps if others had survived, all he could do was wait and hope he may see his brethren again in this life or in the next.

/

"She's gone off the deep end" Weiss muttered from her position beside her leader's bed, as she recounted the events leading up to her disappearance "You're saying a Grimm saved you?"

"Of all the hairbrained excuses" Glynda muttered under her breath.

"I don't think it was a Grimm, it almost looked...Human. " Ruby said shrinking slightly under the combat instructors gaze.

Yang and Blake looked at their leader sceptically, it wasn't an impossibility there were many documented Grimm that had appeared somewhat humanoid one such creature being the legendary Nuckelavee and even more that were still being discovered to this day. And yet the creature their leader had described seemed like an impossibility.

"Maybe you thought it was a Grimm when in reality it was something else entirely." Blake said. " Maybe it was another student who followed you out there and after you passed out and brought you back to the academy."

Yang walked over resting her hands on her sister's shoulders "The doc said you had a slight concussion from the fight, maybe you were hallucinating or something." Yang said

"No... I know what I saw" Ruby muttered under her breath, even if she was only slightly sceptical herself.

The two professors in the room shared a look, having heard the young girls words.

Ozpin turned his attention towards the currently bedridden girl, he had seen and heard many things in his lifetime powerful warriors with silver eyes and four maidens all of who'ms, names had drifted into the stuff of legends and fairytales parents would tell their children were just some examples, never once had he seen or heard any reports of such a creature existing.

It would be easy to say another student had simply followed her out there and rushed to her aid once it became apparent she was in danger, and yet... if that were the case why leave her on the cliffside in such a state, why not contact one of the faculty, or perhaps bring her directly to the infirmary.

The cliffs were far enough from the forest to not warrant the danger of any Grimm coming upon her and also providing a quick escape route, while close enough to the academy that she would be found rather quickly in such an open area. Ruby's story was slowly starting to become more feasible

If that was the case, why did this creature save her why not let its brethren finish her off?

Was it one of the more intelligent of its kind attempting to create false trust with the girl only to end her life when her back was turned, so many questions ran through his mind at that moment what was this creature? what was its purpose here? and most of all was it sent by her?... Did she know about Ruby?

That he did not know, but he was determined to find out and if this creature posed a threat to his students, to Vale, then it would be eliminated. "It's getting late, we can discuss this more in the morning, I suggest the three of you return to your dorm. Miss Rose." Ozpin said turning to the currently bedridden girl "The medical staff would like to keep you overnight for observation, while your injuries may have been minor, it is best if we are thorough. We would rather not risk your well being." Ozpin said.

A sudden knock at the door drew the groups attention, a woman in her mid-twenties stood by the open door dressed in medical scrubs. "I'm sorry to interrupt professor Ozpin, but visiting hours will be ending soon I'm going to have to ask the three of you-" She gestures to the WBY of team RWBY"-To return to your dorm, we'll keep an eye on your leader while she's here" The nurse said.

"Of course" Weiss replied respectfully, Blake and Yang nodding in agreement the first making their way towards the exit while the latter gave her younger sister an assuring look.

"Get some rest." Yang said before following her teammates out, the nurse stood in the doorway watching the teenagers go.

"That includes you as well, Headmaster. I'll give you a few minutes to finish up your conversation." The nurse said to which Ozpin nodded in return. "Also Miss Goodwitch" she asked

"Yes" Glynda replied

"Since you were the one who discovered Miss rose I'm going to need you to sign off on a few things, I assure you it won't take more than a few minutes"

"Of course Katherine" Glynda responded, the nurse quickly grabbed Ruby's chart before she and Glynda made their way back into the other room. Ozpin turned his attention back towards Ruby

" Miss Rose... you do understand what you're implying, it goes against all we know and understand of the creatures of Grimm, such a thing simply could not exist" Ruby looked off to the side not meeting the headmaster's eye.

"But...what if it really did" Ruby whispered. Ozpin raised an eyebrow in response to Ruby's words, he had a feeling there was more to this then she let on and her response only confirmed it.

The headmaster sighed turning to stare out the infirmary window "I know and have seen many things that aren't recorded in books Ruby. The world is a dangerous place with mysteries that have yet to be revealed if you find something that no other can give you an answer to... then perhaps it is time for you to find the answer yourself" Ozpin stated wisely.

Ruby didn't know how to respond to that the headmaster's words only furthered to fuel her confusion more. "Now then I believe I've taken up enough of your time for one evening. get some rest Miss rose." The headmaster said as he turned to leave.

As the door clicked shut behind him Ruby fell back into her bed, staring up at the ceiling above feeling more confused then she had been before. Thoughts of the strange human-like Grimm lingered in her mind "... what was he?" She wondered allowed, one thing was for certain.

She wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

 _ **And we are done, feel free to review if you want, this story has been something I've been working on for a few months now and has been sitting on my hard drive for even longer.**_

 _ **As for this chapter... for the moment its a one-shot but it may branch out into another story of mine in the future. Showing the world of Remnant through the eyes of a surviving Darkone from Artyom's attack on the hive will be a difficult task and I will and have most likely stumbled along the way with this character, I am open to any constructive criticism you can supply me with, it is always welcome and helps me improve on my stories.**_

 _ **Never the less I hope you enjoyed it.**_

 _ **Feel free to check out a few of my other stories while you're at it, this is Nightstalker33 signing off.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby gave a small frustrated sigh as she looked up at the clock, they still had at least another thirty minutes to go before the class came to an end and professor ports stories were doing little to make the time pass any quicker. Peter port was a rather large and well-aged man, wearing a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold buttons and pipping, his black dressed pants tucked into a pair of olive boots his large moustache and eyebrows making it almost impossible to distinguish any other facial features.

To her right were the rest of her teammates, all of whom shared the same board expression as the young reaper and every other student present desperately fighting to keep themselves conscious throughout the professor's "lecture" on how to properly take down a pack Ursa.

Ruby rested her chin on her fist turning her attention shifting back towards her notebook, flipping through a few of the pages towards the back she stopped on one in particular. The image on the paper was a rather detailed sketch of the creature she had encountered in the emerald forest a few days prior, beside it was the outline of a person acting as a comparison between the two.

Out of all the classes at Beacon, she would have thought Grimm studies would have been able to shed some light on the mystery placed in front of her, although recalling how her teammates reacted to her story, she decided it best not to ask or risk becoming the laughingstock of Beacon. Looking back down at her drawing she touched up the image slightly, adding a little more shading around its face and upper body.

"What you up to sis?" Yang whispered leaning over to the side slightly to get a better look at her sister's drawing.

"Nothing" Ruby jump slamming her knees into the bottom of her desk drawing the attention of some of their classmates who looked at the sisters strangely before resuming what they were doing beforehand. Ruby stifled a small pained whine as she hunched over her notebook slightly to shield her drawing from her sister's eyes.

"Sorry" Yang winced taking her sisters wine as a sign that it must have hurt a lot more than she thought.

"It's ok" Ruby replied quickly before flipping to another page of her notebook showing some of the scarce notes she'd taken in their first lesson with Professor port a small doodle of the portly man on the page next to it. Yang took one glance at the drawing of 'Professor poop' and broke out into a hushed fit of giggles.

"Nice one sis" She commented

Ruby laughed sheepishly in return "Yeah, thanks..."

"Ahem" Weiss coughed shooting the sisters a small glare.

Yang rolled her eyes muttering a half-hearted apology to the heiress reluctantly turning her attention back towards the professor's story. Ruby on the other hand just sighed her mind drifting elsewhere, she didn't know what to think about any of this.

The Grimm were monsters, creatures born to destroy mankind and all they had built that much was a fact proven every day... What she saw or at least what everyone was saying she 'thought' she saw was an impossibility, a fever dream, something her mind had created in the heat of the moment as a way to distract herself from the scene around her and yet no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get the image of the creature out of her head, with the memories from the event repeating over and over and over again inside her mind.

"Ruby!" Weiss called out to her partner pulling her from her train of thought.

"Huh!?" Ruby muttered glancing around the now nearly empty classroom, the only few students who remained were the members of her own team and their sister team JNPR...had she been so lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice the bell ring signaling the end of class.

"Wake up you dolt" Weiss said shaking her shoulder pulling the younger girl out of her stupor

"Uhh... Weiss" Ruby asked, noticing everyone still present was giving her a look that either conveyed concern, confusion or both.

"Ruby are you alright?" Pyrrha asked in some concern. "You're looking rather exhausted"

"Yeah, yeah" Ruby replied waving off the red-haired girls concern standing up from her seat with a small stretch "I'm just tired." Ruby replied dragging a hand down her face.

"Well you have been studying rather hard recently" Blake spoke up, receiving g a few shocked looks from the members of JNPR. It was true, well a half-truth. In reality, she'd spent a good portion of the night prior, reading through any Grimm Biology textbook, online studies or just about anything else she could get her hands on at the time all in hopes of finding any evidence of the creature's existence... and yet, there was nothing.

"I know right." Yang said noting the surprised looks of their friends, whose eyes all turned to Ruby who in response attempted to hide in the confines of her cloak. "It's like she's a whole different person... It's kind of creepy actually." Ruby's salvation came in the form of her usually a strict partner.

"Hush you" Weiss spoke up coming to her partner's defense "At least your sisters taking her studying seriously for this semester when was the last time you even looked at a textbook." The heiress remarked with a triumphant smirk as they exited the classroom.

"Hey, I study." Yang shot back at the heiress.

"So, she says" Blake quipped, earning a singer from Nora and Ruby as well as a betrayed look from Yang.

"Blake, you traitor!" Yang cried in outrage as the others erupted in fits of laughter. Ruby joined in soon after, the change in subject quickly doing away with her foul mood as she followed the others out of the class, a few turns and about ten minutes later of walking later they arrived at the cafeteria, after grabbing their food the two teams made their way towards one of the tables by the windows.

"Man miss G really works fast" Yang commented glancing around the cafeteria noting its shockingly pristine condition despite the damage she and her teammates had caused alongside the members of JNPR.

"It's hard to believe it's in this good of a condition so soon." Pyrrha commented and out of curiosity gave a gentle shove against one of the pillars she was certain were toppled no less than a few days prior

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Oh yeah, duh, you missed-" Yang began but was cut off by the bubbly bomber of team JNPR

"The best food fight EVER!" Nora hollered thrusting her arms into the air, before settling down into her seat directing a smirk towards three members of team RWBY. "Which we total won." Nora said directing her smug look towards Yang.

"No, you didn't, we totally creamed you guys!" Yang shot back rising up from her seat "Besides if Miss Goodwitch hadn't shown up you guys would have been done for."

"Wanna test that theory cream puff?" Nora challenged scooping up a slice of pineapple from Jaune plate, Yang narrowed her eyes before grabbing a turkey leg from her own. The other's eyes widened as the Blond brawler and Red-haired Bomber readied themselves for round two.

"Nora!" Ren said, causing the bubbly ginger to freeze in place, her eyes quickly turning to him. "Please don't"

"Okey-Dokey, Renny" Nora replied her mood taking a total one-eighty before dropping the slice of pineapple to the floor and sitting back down beside her partner.

"That goes for you too Xiao-long." Weiss said snatching the piece of poultry from the blond brawler before she could do any damage with it. "Both our teams already have several detentions lined up for the semester, are you sure it's wise to add to that number"

Yang slumped forward in her seat "Ugh I hate when your right" she muttered propping her head up on her hands as Ruby erupted into a fit of laughter which was soon followed by most of the table's occupants.

Blake rolled her eyes down at her team's antics glancing down to the notebook present in front of Ruby, every once in a while she would see Ruby flipping to one of the pages near the back touching upon on one of her drawings with the pencil she had on hand, the young reaper stared down at the image with a blank face yet her eyes showed both confusion and interest in her gaze, Blake raised an eyebrow catching a glimpse of the outline of a tall figure on the page.

"Hey, bookworm. " Yang said snapping her fingers in front of Rubie's face. Ruby blinked twice, yang's actions bringing her out of her stupor before snapping her notebook shut, turning to see the concerned looks of her sister as well as Weiss, Blake and JNPR "Your zoning out again... are you sure you're ok?" Yang asked.

"I'm sorry." Ruby replied

"What has you so distracted?" Pyrrha asked.

Ruby glanced off to the side, before sighing "I can't stop thinking about that... that Grimm."

Yang, Weiss and Blake instantly understood what Ruby was referring to, the members of JNPR not so much. Pyrrha turned a questioning look towards Weiss, the Heiress rubbed her brow in slight annoyance" Ruby, the doctors said you had a concussion which you probably got fighting the Beowulf Alpha, you were just imagining things." The Heiress pressed.

"Wait you were in the infirmary because of a Beowulf, you can usually tear through those guys without a problem?" Jaune asked, his teammates bearing equal looks of concern and confusion, Ruby dipped her head in some embarrassment.

"It was an Alpha Jaune, their far stronger and faster with thicker armor plating then their pack mates" Pyrrha spoke up sparing the girl from any further embarrassment, Nora jumped in soon after the red-haired spartan.

"It must have caught her off guard with a sneak attack, and she never got any proper revenge so now you can't stop thinking about it!" Nora cried rising from her seat and pointing at Ruby who pouted in response opening her mouth to counter the bubbly bombers claim, only for Weiss to speak up.

"From what she told us, Ruby went out into the forest after seeing an Ursa be killed, she thought someone was fighting the Grimm and went to help, she lost her Scythe after it got caught in the Alphas armor." JNPR's eyes widened in fear and worry.

"That's why she was missing for most of the day, she also seems to believe she was saved by a Grimm, it was probably just another student who was already out there." Weiss explanation came off as rather condescending towards Ruby, though even she had to admit her claim came off as an impossibility to those who hadn't seen nor felt what she had.

Jaunes burger fell from his hands slapping down onto his plate "A Grimm saved you." He said staring at the young girl incredulously.

"No Jaune" Pyrrha amended "Weiss is saying Ruby thought she was saved by a Grimm, which is impossible." Pyrrha stated while picking at some of the food on her tray, moments later a loud bang emanated from further down the table drawing everyone's attention, they all turned to find an irritated Ruby.

"Will you all stop talking about me like I'm not even here!" Ruby cried out glaring at her sister and classmates "I know what I saw doesn't seem possible, but... but none of you were there. You didn't see what I saw you didn't hear what I heard!" Ruby bellowed her voice filled with resolve despite the fact she herself had no idea what she'd seen that day.

The young Rose collapsed forward onto the table resting her head in her arms a small muffled whine coming from within "Ruby" Yang began placing a hand on her shoulder attempting to console her "It's... It's just impossible"

Ruby raised her head looking at her elder sibling tear welling at the edge of her eyes. "You think I don't know that... it's... it's just... urgh!" Ruby stood up from her seat and began stalking towards the cafeteria exit.

"Ruby..." Yang trailed off rising from her seat to follow

"Don't" Ren stated making Yang pause "Let her go, she obviously has things to think about and the fact everyone is saying she's wrong and acting crazy isn't helping at all." Yang glanced back towards her sister watching as she exited through the large double doors for the cafeteria, a part of her told her to follow, but she stopped herself having to agree with Ren's reasoning, there wasn't really anything she could do to make her sister feel better except lie to her face and say she believed her, that might have worked when she was younger but not now, now, it would only make things far worse than they already were.

She just hoped Ruby would forget about all this and move on soon, for her own sake.

/

Ruby slammed open the door to her team's dorm stalking over to the hastily assembled bunk bed's taking a seat on the one beneath her own that dangled precariously above her supported by a number of ropes and strips of duct tape. Ruby snatched Weiss's pillow from the bed and pressed her face into the fabric using it to muffle the sound of her scream while kicking her legs out wildly.

Ruby fell back lying sprawled out over her partner's bed, no doubt she'd get an earful from Weiss about the state of her bed when she and the others finally got back, but right now, she doubted she'd even be listening at least not at the moment. The rest of the day had gone about just as well as she expected, her team had tried to talk to her, but she'd just brushed them off without a word, she didn't feel like talking not when her own opinion mattered so little to them, not when she still had so many questions that needed answering.

Sitting up Ruby pulled her knees into her chest turning her head she stared out of the dorm window down at the emerald forest below. She didn't know why but she felt like she needed to do something, she needed some form of closure on the matter before the stress of it all drove her crazy. She needed to know the truth about what she'd seen, the young reaper reached into her book bag, pulling out her not book and flipping to the very back page, she stared at her drawing intently as if it would give her the answers she was looking for.

There was no way she could just ignore something like this not after everything that had happened, even if no one else believed her she had to try.

 _"Then perhaps it is time for you to find the answer yourself."_ Ozpins words echoed through the back of Rubie's mind.

Ruby glanced out the dorm window down at the emerald forest in the distance and in that moment, she made a decision. Hopping up from the bed she jogged out of the dorm room and down the corridor towards the locker rooms where her sweetheart resided, Professor Ozpin was right. If she was going to get answers she'd have to find them herself.

/

His dark eyes opened staring up at the opening above as amber light flooded through the opening above illuminating the area around him, the Dark one leaned back against the stone wall closing his eyes allowing the suns warmth to wash over his ashen skin, despite how foreign it felt due to this new climate, never the less it was a pleasant feeling for him.

The dark one let out a long sigh attempting to rise to his feet a familiar stabbing pain in his side from where the beast's claws had landed a strike on him, he glanced down to the wound a small trail of blood leaking from the edge, ignoring the pain he rose back to his feet turning towards the pool of water in the center of the shaft he knelt down beginning a routine he had become familiar with over the last few days, taking the time to carefully clean the wounds the black creatures he now knew as a Grimm had inflicted.

His connection to the girl, Ruby, if he recalled correctly granted him some much-needed if limited knowledge of the world he now found himself in, it was... a strange place, to say the least, though had his own home been any different. This world was home not only to mankind but also another species referred to as Faunus, while they closely resembled humans physically, they also shared traits with certain animals, something that had garnered much hatred from humanity. He hoped such a pointless conflict would come to a more peaceful resolution then what had befallen his people.

His mind drifted back towards the girl in red, he worried for her safety he had already seen first-hand the effect his kinds very presence could cause around humans, it was not... a pretty sight, the memories of such events still haunted him.

But the girl was still young, her mind was still incomplete, thankfully. He doubted there would be any lingering side effects caused by their interaction, she may yet forget him in time, as he had done soon after. The Dark one closed his eyes thinking back to the moment he connected with her mind, more importantly, the emotions that flooded across their link.

Fear... but not of the creatures that closed in on them, of him.

It was a fear of the unknown, something he had grown accustomed to during previous interactions with humanity, they feared his kind, they always had even from the beginning and it would appear even here, on this new world, there was no exception.

She believed that he was one of them, a mindless monster with neither heart nor soul, born with one purpose, one goal it was destined to fill throughout its existence. To kill her and any other it came across, as these creatures of Grimm had done to both Humanity and the Faunus for centuries untold. He stared into the pool of water beneath him his reflection staring back at him, the resemblance he seemed to bear towards them did not help in the slightest.

He sighed, once again finding more similarities between his home and this place, the surface had been a violent place filled with dangers many humans would not risk facing on a whim when death could quite literally loom around the next corner.

A low growl echoed through the tunnel that leads into the chamber he resided in, the Dark one raised his head from the pool as several angry red auras began to flood through the entrance to his temporary home, they knew despite his appearance he was not like them and as such the beast had come for him again as they had done the night prior.

Knowing he couldn't run the dark one rose to his full high staring into the darkened cavern as the monstrosities grew closer, there roars echoing down the stone tunnel. His hand tightened into a fist as the first creature came into view, their snarling faces indistinguishable from one another. If they had come here looking for conflict... then so be it.

* * *

 _(To be continued)_


	3. Chapter 3

"What was I thinking?" Ruby sighed as she wandered about the Emerald forest. She'd rushed off into the forest without telling her teammates or friends where she was going just like last time and that hadn't ended well the last time, and all for what? Something impossible, something that defied all logic, all their knowledge of the creatures of Grimm throughout humanities known history... Something that had saved her life.

It hadn't taken her long to find the clearing where she had first encountered the Grimm, the area was in simple terms a wreck, two trees had been uprooted during the fight, and those that remained standing had a large number of chunks blown out of their trunks courtesy of her sweetheart alongside a large set of claw marks she knew belonged to the Beowulf alpha.

Ruby shivered slightly as the memory of the Grimm's gaping maw came to the forefront of her mind. Shaking her head Ruby turned her attention back to the clearing around her, it might have been a bad idea to wander to the emerald forest with only her school uniform, cloak and Crescent Rose. Especially when she had no idea how to track down one specific Grimm, there had to have been thousands in the forest alone, how was she supposed to find the one she'd ran into.

She was starting to wish she'd paid more attention back in professor Ports class that one time when he talked about actually tracking Grimm, she'd slept through it, like most of the others and received an earful from Weiss not that long after. She didn't know what shocked her more, that the professor had actually been talking about something useful for once, or the idea of listening through one of the portly professor's stories from start to finish was something she considered doing.

Drawing on what little knowledge about tracking she'd picked up from her uncle, a few TV shows and a few books here and there when she was younger, she started analyzing the clearing for anything that might tell her where the creature had gone after the fight concluded, a tuft of hair, a footprint any of the obvious signs something had passed through here recently.

She couldn't give up, not without getting this done. She knew no matter how crazy this whole thing was, she had to do it. Not just to prove it to the others, but in the end also to herself. The loud snap of a twig echoed through the clearing, immediately drawing ruby attention. She turned to see two Beowolves emerge from the brush the lead Grimm growled at her, these weren't the Grimm she was looking for, but couldn't stop the smirk that spread across her lips.

"You aren't the Grimm I was looking for, but great timing, guy's." She said extending crescent rose to its full length "It was starting to get a little boring out here."

The Beowolves growled before charging the huntress in training. Ruby spun Crescent rose pointing the barrel of her weapon behind her, squeezing the trigger her weapon fired the reoil launching her forward, Ruby twisted her body midair swinging her scythe upwards decapitating the first Grimm. Ducking down the second sailed over her form after attempting to pounce on the red-clad huntress, Ruby smirked twirling crescent rose over her back she brought the scythe down in a vertical strike across the Grimm's back, slicing it in two.

Rising back to her feet she quickly glanced around the clearing checking for any more surprises. Shifting Crescent Rose back into its compact form, Ruby secured her sweetheart to her lower back, her mind drifting back to the task at hand. She sighed; it wasn't just the size of the emerald forest that deterred her nor all the Grimm around her. It was that the creature she was looking for was intelligent, not the kind the older Grimm tended to show, but Human level intelligence.

The Grimm didn't age like normal animals or people would, while people grew old and withered with time the creatures of Grimm seemed to only grow stronger and wiser. For a Grimm to have been able to survive that long to achieve such a feat should have been impossible. The others may have chalked it up to being a combination of the stress of the situation and her head injury, but she knew the voice she'd heard was real, as was its source.

The only problem with that was if it wanted to stay hidden, then it would, for all she knew it could have been watching her right now and she'd be none the wiser to its presence. That possibility it might even be true put her on edge, she'd seen what it did to the Beowolf killing it with a single touch, who's to say it couldn't do the same to a person.

No, if it wanted that then she wouldn't be here to question it in the first place. A howl echoed in the distance and was quickly joined by others, Ruby's head snapped to the direction of its origins. 'More Grimm.' She thought while reaching for Crescent Rose. Glancing around the clearing Ruby's eyes scanned the tree line for any movement around her, nothing.

Ruby turned her gaze back towards the direction of the howl's, as far as she knew there were no other students in the forest that might have drawn the Grimm's attention, unless... Her mind drifted back towards her first encounter with the strange Grimm. It was fighting the others long before she had arrived, the reason behind that was lost on her at the time, although now that she looked back on it, the Grimm's strange behavior might have had something to do with it...did the other Grimm not see it as one of their own?.

Ruby broke out into a sprint a few moments later, heading towards the source of the howl's, whatever was going on up ahead, she was certain it had something to do with that Grimm.

/

Their onslaught seemed to have no end; he didn't know how long he could hold out. One by one the creatures stormed his makeshift home, only for an invisible force to throw them back, if the initial force of his strike didn't end them, he was certain the impact against the cave wall's had amended that. Even if these creatures were empty inside, it didn't make the process of taking their lives any easier.

Two Beowolves began circling him, his eyes narrowed in response their tactics and forms were vastly similar to the creature that stalked the surface of his home the one's humanity called Watchmen. One defining factor stood out the most among both species, they had strength in number but were lacking heavily in terms of intelligence.

The dark one vanished from sight earning a startled yelp from the two Grimm who proceeded to glance around the cavern in search of their prey. The Beowolf closest to the spring yelped as an invisible force launched it across the chamber towards its companion, the two crashed into one another skipping across the stone floor and slamming into the cave wall, a spine from the top Beowolves back, stabbing the other in the chest the Grimm yelped before falling limp.

The remaining Beowolf leapt back to its feet charging towards the dark one, time slowed to a crawl allowing him to step out of the Grimm's path. Time resumed once more quickly followed by the Beowolf slamming head first into the cave wall knocking itself out.

His people had never been comfortable with killing, a life was a precious thing in their eyes, something that should never be taken on a whim, incapacitating an attacker was one thing, killing, another entirely. The Dark one thrust his hand out, launching one of the larger Beowolves back down the passage it had emerged from as more howls echoed from down the tunnel.

/

Ruby crouched down behind a few bushes watching as the pack of Beowolves swarmed the cave Jaune and Pyrrha had told them they encountered the Deathstalker during initiation. She still couldn't believe Jaune thoughts the Grimm's stinger was one of the relics, looking back on it now the two of them always laughed, but at the time the revelation of what they stumbled upon must have seemed terrifying.

As was her current situation.

The last of the Grimm disappeared through the cave mouth and into the darkness waiting below, Ruby waited a good five minutes before emerging from her hiding spot and making her way into the center of the clearing, she stared into the pitch back tunnel ahead of her wearily. A part of her mind was excited at the prospect she may have just found the creatures she'd spent the good part of that afternoon searching for... And the other part was quick to remind her she had no idea what she was supposed to do now that she had.

She couldn't call her team or any of the teachers at Beacon to report her findings, she wasn't even supposed to be out here in the first place. And if her team, or worse, Miss Goodwitch found out she'd snuck back out into the forest, only a couple of days after she was discharged from the infirmary, to hunt down a highly intelligent and possibly extremely dangerous Grimm on her own... Yeah, that would be really, really bad.

Still, her gaze lingered on the cave in front of her. She'd already come this far, it seemed only right that she sees it through to the end. Ruby drew her scroll from her blazer flicking it open, a dull beam of light shone down the seemingly endless cavern illuminating the way ahead, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves Ruby made her way inside the light from her scroll pointed forward her right hand hovering over crescent rose, just in case.

Despite the small army of Grimm that had been laying siege to this place just a few minutes prior the entire cavern was deathly silent, the only sound being her own footsteps echoing down the cavern. This didn't make any sense, where were all the Beowolves? She'd seen at least a dozen of them outside when she'd arrived with twice that many most likely already inside, she should have at least heard something a growl, footsteps, a roar perhaps anything to help identify the bigger threat.

A subtle crunch echoed through the tunnel, Ruby froze her eyes locked on the pathway ahead waiting for any sign of movement from the tunnel ahead, after a few moments and no sign of any Grimm she let out a small sigh of relief. Glancing down towards the cave floor ruby Shone her light down towards the source of her mini heart attack and froze, her eyes locked onto the Human skull and broken femur laying at her feet alongside a dozen or more smaller bones, a broken sword lay a few feet away, its rusted and clearly aged blade nestled between a few rocks.

Death was something they were all expected to face during their career as Hunters she'd been aware of that fact for most of her life, it was something her uncle and teachers back at signal had warned her and many of the other students about. Looking back on it now she could see it was for her own benefit at the time, to help acquaint her with the possibility that one day someone she might know, or she herself may fall protecting her kingdom and its people.

But to view death or at the very least the aftermath of death first hand... well that was something no one could prepare her for. Ruby shuffled back away from the remains, although her eyes still lingered on the skull for a few more seconds before she clenched them shut, shaking her head she turned her eyes back towards the path ahead, she didn't want to think about that not now, she still had something she needed to do.

Shinning her scroll down the tunnel ahead Ruby came to sudden a halt, her mouth dropping open slightly, the narrow beam of light from her scroll shining down on the body of a Beowolf lying in the center of the tunnel, black particles rising from its body and it wasn't alone, further ahead were well over a dozen more Grimm scattered around the passage each in varying stages of disintegration. Well, that certainly answered her question about what happened to the Beowolves and confirmed that she wasn't alone, she hadn't heard any gunshots or any of the clear signs of conflict between a person and the Grimm, so it had to be here.

Ruby drew Crescent rose, shifting her weapon from its compact form into its rifle variant before venturing further down the narrow tunnel, the action was little more than a precaution in the event any of the Beowolves were still alive or what did this set its sights on her next, the creature had saved her once before but all this definitely showed it was capable of much more.

The light from her scroll began to flicker, Rubie's eyes snapped down to her scroll. "No, no, no, no" She whispered she was certain she'd charged it that morning before class, it couldn't be out of battery now, not now. The dim beam of light continued to flicker before dying out plunging Ruby into darkness. The scythe wielder swallowed thickly it was like the universe was telling her this whole thing was a bad idea.

Ruby glanced back over her shoulder towards the darkness behind her, she didn't want to try making her way back through the cave without some form of light, which left her with only one option. Pushing her fear aside Ruby reached out touching her hand against the cave wall using it to guide her further along the pitch black cavern and deeper into the cave passing the disintegrating bodies of several Beowolves along the way, the further she walked the more she began to notice the tunnel had started to get narrower by the seconds until it was just wide enough for a person to be able to walk through.

As the passageway ahead grew brighter Ruby was forced to squint her eyes, after being trapped in darkness for who knew how long the light despite how dim it may have been was an equally welcoming as it was a painful experience. Ruby excited out of the passage pausing at the edge of the tunnel blinking away the spots in her eye's before looking up and around the much larger chamber she now found herself in.

Her eyes darted around her surroundings taking in even the most minuscule details, they could as well as the several decaying Grimm scattered around the cavern before taking her first steps in, unaware of the pair of dark eyes that watched her every move from the shadows, their owner standing only a few feet away yet un-seeable to the fifteen year old girl.

/

He was surprised by her presence at first, he'd been so focused on the almost overwhelming number of Grimm invading his shelter, that he'd failed to notice her presence until she was already making her way through the tunnels towards him. He hadn't expected the girl, no... Ruby, to venture out into the forest so soon after suffering injuries that most fully matured humans took weeks, months even, to recover from the harm that had been inflicted upon her body, such a hasty recover was not only surprising but should have been impossible.

His thoughts drifted back to the knowledge and memories he had acquired from her, one word stood out the most concerning this phenomenon, Aura, from what he recalled from his time linked with Ruby it was said to be the manifestation of one's very soul, and one of the few weapons... Huntsmen, yes that is what she was, one of the protectors of this world, a warrior trained to wield this power as a weapon in their war with the never-ending tide that was the creatures of Grimm.

There was some lingering nostalgia linked with these memories, it would seem Ruby thought highly of these individuals, there was a strong feeling of want, no a need to be one of them, linked with the desire to... protect, not just those she loved but humans and Faunus as a whole, just as these hunters did.

An admirable goal for one so young, if there were others like her perhaps there was hope for humanity yet.

A low growl echoed through the cavern, startling not only him from his thoughts but Ruby as well evident by how the girl jumped. The sound echoed around the cavern making it almost impossible for the young reaper to locate the source. Ruby glanced around the cavern her eyes checking over the fallen bodies of the Grimm around her, the Grimm she had passed on the way were all dead and these ones while still fresh, she was pretty sure they were dead judging by the large cloud of Grimm ash starting to fill the room, shaking her head she turned to face the end of the cavern the only place the sound could have come from.

Ruby edged closer to the tunnel unaware that one of the dead Grimm behind her began to stir, the ash generated by its fallen packmates masking it as one of the dead. A low sigh slipped from the Beowolf, the sound echoing around the chamber followed by its deep red eyes blinked open as it slowly regained consciousness, its vision blurred by the blunt force trauma inflicted upon itself and the cloud of ash surrounding its prone form.

"Huh?" The Grimm tilted its head towards the voice, the Grimm's eyes locked onto the red-clad girl standing in the center of the chamber, weapon at the ready as she crept towards the dark tunnel ahead, blissfully unaware of the growing threat behind her. Without a sound, the Beowolf rose into a crouch and began stalking towards the red-clad girl as she edged into the narrow tunnel opening.

The Beowulf's reared back on its hind legs a low growl emanated from the back of its throat, as it prepared to pounce. Ruby froze in place, her silver eyes widened in both shock and horror, the Beowolves roar echoing through the cavern, Ruby spun to meet her foe, raising Crescent Rose to-

An unseen force impacted the Beowolf mid-jump, launching its body into the cavern wall, a sickening crack echoed through the cavern, the Grimm's twisted and Broken body flopped to the cave floor disintegrating into a cloud of ash, joining its brethren in death. Ruby stood in the mouth of tunnel frozen in place, not out of the shock that she had once again come close to losing her life to a creature of Grimm, or the relief that such an event had not come to pass.

Ruby sucked in a shaky breath, her grip on Crescent Rose tightening as her eyes turned away from the Beowolf broken body and towards her savior, just as the creature stepped back into the darkness of the cave, its natural skin color allowing it to blend in almost entirely with the shadows of the cave, if she didn't know it was already there she would have probably- and had almost already -walked right past it.

Ruby took a cautious step back into the cavern, back-peddling until her back met the opposite wall, her eyes never once wavering from the creature as she put some distance between her and the imposing form of the creature, her heart pounding in her chest as her mind process her current situation, much like the caves other occupants.

The Dark one stared at Ruby warily, more specifically the weapon held in her hands. He knew intervening not only put himself at risk but the girl as well had she chosen to lash out at him, he could incapacitate her should the need arise, however, despite the tidal wave of emotion that flowed off the girl, he sensed she had no desire to harm him, she was afraid of him, yes, he'd expected as much, however, she was also...joyful.

"You're real..." She whispered staring up at him in awe "You're actually really."

* * *

 ** _Wow, it has been a long time since I updated this._**

 ** _Hello, my fellow readers and authors, sorry about the long wait on this one, I know this story received a rather positive reaction after the first few chapters, with a lot of people asking for more, but I've been a little preoccupied with a few of my other project, as well as life in general. But, I will try to have the next chapter out sooner than this one._**

 ** _Anywho, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, feel free to check out any of my other stories and leave a review if your feeling up for it, constructive criticism is always welcome._**


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